Imaage courtesy of Budianto Hakim et al.
Joel
The
Indonesian island of Sulawesi was a likely stepping stone for ancient hominins to reach nearby Flores, the home of the mysterious Homo floresiensis
Who were the hobbits, the small humans found in Indonesia?
Their remains are found on the island of Flores, and some say that they were
suffering from a condition called microcephaly, a neurological disorder that
still causes some individuals to have an abnormally small head.
”Seven stone tools found on the Indonesian island of
Sulawesi are the earliest evidence ever discovered of ancient humans making a
sea crossing, dating back up to 1.4 million years.
They may
provide clues to how a tiny human species, nicknamed “hobbits”, ended up on the
nearby island of Flores.
The first of the artefacts was found embedded in a
sandstone outcrop at a site called Calio by Budianto Hakim at
the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia in 2019, and a full
excavation uncovered six more tools in the same outcrop.”
Source:
James Woodford 2025 Ancient tools on Sulawesi may be clue to origins of 'hobbit' hominins | New Scientist 6 August
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